Validating frameworks for understanding classroom processes that contribute to student learning and development is important to advance the scientific study of teaching. This article presents one such framework, Teaching through Interactions, which posits that teacher-student interactions are a central driver for student learning and organizes…

The quality of classroom interactions has typically been studied using aggregates of ratings over time. However, within-day ratings may contain important variability. This study investigated within-day variability using the NICHD Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development's observational data during grades 3 and 5. The first question examined…

Observations of instructional practices, teacher interviews, and classroom artifacts were collected in 9 sixth-grade classrooms in 2 middle schools to determine teaching practices associated with student engagement (i.e., being on task, doing thoughtful assignments). The teachers used a variety of instructional practices, with some teachers…

In this study we examined the relation between children's social competence and their first-grade classroom environment. Drawing from data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we used cluster analysis to identify 4 types of typical classrooms based on observed classroom emotional and instructional supports. The 4 types…

The treatment of errors in mathematics classrooms has gained attention in recent years, with many researchers suggesting that errors should be used as starting points for student inquiry into mathematics. In the study reported in this article, we examined how teachers used discourse around errors to generate inquiry by looking at the treatment of…

This article describes the types of discourse 10 Australian grade 4-6 teachers used after they had been trained to embed cooperative learning in their curriculum and to use communication skills to promote students' thinking and to scaffold their learning. One audiotaped classroom social science lesson involving cooperative learning was analyzed…

Observations of 780 third-grade classrooms described classroom activities, child-teacher interactions, and dimensions of the global classroom environment, which were examined in relation to structural aspects of the classroom and child behavior. 1 child per classroom was targeted for observation in relation to classroom quality and teacher and…

Variable-centered (regression) and person-centered (cluster analytic) techniques were used to examine the relations between eighth-grade students' achievement motivation and their perceptions of teacher caring. Motivation was assessed using students' self-reports of academic self-efficacy, intrinsic valuing of education, and teacher ratings of…

This study examined where, how often, and how effectively vocabulary instruction occurred in 23 ethnically diverse upper-elementary classrooms in Canada. Data revealed that only 6 percent of school time was devoted to vocabulary knowledge development, with 1.4 percent devoted to vocabulary development in academic subjects. Most instruction…

Examined students' perceptions of teacher characteristics that support or inhibit help seeking, using the critical incident technique, and explored the feelings students experience in seeking help from teachers. Found that interactions evoked strong feelings in students related to how comfortable they were in seeking teacher help. (Author/SD)

Argues that teacher trust in students and parents is critical to school success. Details study showing that even after accounting for variation among schools in student demographic characteristics, prior achievement, and school socioeconomic status, trust was a significant positive predictor of differences among schools in student achievement.…

Investigated the ways in which third-grade teachers diminished or contributed to the gender-differentiated schooling experiences of girls and boys by comparing the teachers' gender beliefs with what actually happened in the classroom. Found that the teachers believed they worked from a gender-blind position when teaching, but their beliefs did not…

Examines one teacher and her first graders' interactions around information book read-alouds. Reveals that the comprehension strategies the teacher modeled reflected the same categories as those suggested by more systematic but decontextualized research. Suggests that there may be a developmentally appropriate time to begin formal comprehension…

Explored the interaction between the subject-matter contexts of a teacher's work and her identity as teacher and learner. Observations of teacher responses to new state and district instructional policies regarding literacy and mathematics instruction revealed that her identity as a teacher and learner about teaching differed substantially between…

Used classroom observations and in-depth interviews to study first-grade teachers nominated as outstanding or typical in ability to help students develop literacy skills. Characteristics of teachers whose students demonstrated highest achievement included (1) coherent and thorough integration of skills with high-quality reading/writing…